Tag Archives: blackened death metal

Album Review – Chronicler Of Ardul / Sounds of Ardul (2026)

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Let’s embark on a sweeping orchestral journey into the dark fantasy realm of Ardul, embracing cinematic storytelling through rich symphonic textures, intimate folk tunes, and atmospheric worldbuilding.

A sweeping orchestral journey into the dark fantasy realm of Ardul, the breathtaking Sounds of Ardul, the first full-length album by Richland, Washington-based Symphonic and Blackened Death Metal outfit Chronicler of Ardul (the brainchild of composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist David Williams) embraces cinematic storytelling through rich symphonic textures, intimate folk tunes, and atmospheric worldbuilding, instead of relying on metal elements. With David himself handling all writing, recording, mixing, and artwork, giving the project a distinct voice anchored in emotional honesty and narrative purpose, the follow-up to the 2023 EP Myrewood and the 2024 EP Sword of Virné showcases 17 tracks which individually feel like a moment from a larger adventure, guiding listeners through taverns, shadowed forests, ancient mists, and violent clashes, inviting audiences to step directly into the world itself, experiencing its wonder, danger, and humanity firsthand.

Featuring the awesome vocalist Sofia Frasz of Exiled Hope, Watch Over Me is a bardic folk song carried by clean guitar, violin, hand percussion, resulting in a charming acoustic intro to the world of Ardul, followed by Watch Over Me (Village Version), a melancholic rendition of the same song with its crying violin sounding stunning. Then we have You’re Gone, featuring vocalist Aaron Johnson III of Syyn, presenting the emotional weight of loss, a somber tavern ballad about love that feels like a classic by Johnny Cash; whereas stomps, claps, and bottle taps set the tone in Oh Me Oh My, providing us with a view inside David’s creative mind. The first version of Woodlands offers the striking sounds of strings, harp, clarinet, piano, and choir, while Woodlands (Alternate Version) displays a cleaner sound with cello, piano, and harp only, and Woodlands (Battle Theme) brings forward the uniqueness of brass, percussion, and rhythmic urgency as hidden threats reveal themselves, like the score to an epic movie. After such an inspiring trio of songs, we have In the Mists of the Myrewood (Remastered), a classic piano aria by David to bring some peace to our hearts.

The sounds of strings, piano, choir, and guitar keep embellishing the airwaves in the sinister tune Veiled Truth, while Unwelcomed Guests continues the rising tension with timpani heartbeats, clacking percussion, unsettling strings, and a divided choir in another serene tune by David. His passion for classical music gets even clearer in To Arms! (String Quintet), where it’s quite easy to visualize a full orchestra playing it; whereas Temporary Respite pulls the listener back into calmness with soft piano and choir, offering a resting place after turmoil. Moments From Disaster offers our avid ears heavy drums, tense strings, rumbling voices, and pounding piano, the most haunting chapter of the album, while Underground again ventures through movie score lands, sounding imposing and whimsical, and Underground (Alternate Version) is a quieter but more claustrophobic passage where you can feel David’s anguish. To Arms! then showcases a bold symphonic battle full on orchestrations in the most imposing version of the song; and lastly, Zarek the Bloody offers us all the sounds of accordion, bass, percussion, and vocals by David, feeling delicate and gloomy while also dark and visceral. Needless to say, David should do more singing on his albums for sure.

Influenced by renowned acts the likes of Shadow of Intent, Mental Cruelty, Nobuo Uematsu, and Yasunori Nishiki, David and his Choricler of Ardul approach concept music with the depth of a novel and the drama of a film score. Not only that, the album also includes extended ten-minute looping versions of twelve tracks, crafted for worldbuilders, tabletop players, writers, and listeners who want to immerse themselves even further. As the third pillar of the project’s overarching project, Sounds of Ardul expands the world’s scope while maintaining musical motifs that connect past works to future stories, and you can join David in such a unique quest by following the project on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming his music on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Music, and of course by purchasing the album from BandCamp or by clicking HERE. It’s time to embark on a journey to Ardul alongside David Williams, and there’s nothing better than his new album to provide us with the perfect soundtrack for such a thrilling adventure.

Best moments of the album: You’re Gone, Woodlands (Battle Theme) and Zarek the Bloody.

Worst moments of the album: Woodlands (Alternate Version).

Released in 2026 Independent

Track listing
1. Watch Over Me 3:50
2. Watch Over Me (Village Version) 2:04
3. You’re Gone 4:32
4. Oh Me Oh My 1:43
5. Woodlands 2:28
6. Woodlands (Alternate Version) 2:28
7. Woodlands (Battle Theme) 2:28
8. In the Mists of the Myrewood (Remastered) 3:31
9. Veiled Truth 2:45
10. Unwelcomed Guests 3:04
11. To Arms! (String Quintet) 2:28
12. Temporary Respite 2:41
13. Moments From Disaster 2:31
14. Underground 2:24
15. Underground (Alternate Version) 2:24
16. To Arms! 2:28
17. Zarek the Bloody 2:42

Band members
David Williams – vocals, all instruments

Guest musicians
Sofia Frasz – vocals on “Watch Over Me”
Aaron Johnson III – vocals on “You’re Gone”

Album Review – Goholor / Locus Damnatorum (2026)

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It’s time to ascend to the place of the damned with the first full-length opus by this Slovakian horde, a throwback to the late 90’s heydays of Black and Death Metal.

Arising from the depths of suffering in Slovakia in 2010 at the instigation of vocalist Anton Piovarci and guitarist and vocalist Demo, later joined by Erik Čalfa on bass and Pio on drums, Michalovce-based Blackened Death Metal horde Goholor (which in the Enochian language, a constructed language used in occult traditions, translates to “ascend”) is unleashing upon humanity their first full-length opus, titled Locus Damnatorum, a Latin phrase that translates to “place of the damned,” following up on their 2016 debut EP In Saeculis Obscuris. Mixed and mastered by Tore Stjerna at Necromorbus Studios, the album feels like a throwback to the late 90’s heydays of Black and Death Metal, recalling the likes of Unanimated, Necrophobic, Sacramentum, Gates of Ishtar, and Sweden’s Sacrilege, while at the same time there’s just as equally their own personality injected into their atmospheric muscle.

There’s no hope for our putrid souls as the band kicks off their infuriated attack with Demonical Redemption, where Anton’s deep guttural sound inhumane while the guitar by Demo exhales sulfur. Pio continues to crush his drums like a true beast in the Black and Death Metal aria titled Black Rising Suffering, as dark as it’s heavy and demonic, followed by Divine Blood Invocation, which carries a classic name for a vicious extreme music tune where Demo and Erik’s stringed attack will send shiver down your spine. Last Groan Devoured by Death also portrays a very poetic and evil name, starting in a serene manner before evolving into a massive beast of Blackened Death Metal with Doom Metal nuances; and Pio is once again ruthless behind his drums in Ominous Delusion, offering Anton exactly what he needs to fire his cadaverous guttural roars. They definitely know how to craft deadly song names, and in Embraced by Demons Spell not only the title is menacing, but the music is a vile display of Death Metal savagery; whereas Demo sounds demonic armed with his axe in Nihillistic Torments, adding endless rage to the band’s core blackened essence, therefore ending the album on a sulfurous, grim note.

Continuing to focus on the dark and demonic side of society, such as hypocrisy, perversion, insensitivity, and obsession with religion, those Slovakian metallers are on absolute fire from start to finish in their newborn beast Locus Damnatorum, and you can get to know more about the band, their music and tour dates on Facebook, and purchase their incandescent new album from the Personal Records’ BandCamp or webstore. In other words, it’s time to ascend to the place of the damned alongside Goholor and their new album, a thrilling blast of underground extreme music that will surely keep such a talented horde more than ready to strike again with their venomous music in the coming years.

Best moments of the album: Black Rising Suffering, Last Groan Devoured by Death and Embraced by Demons Spell.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Personal Records

Track listing
1. Demonical Redemption 5:45
2. Black Rising Suffering 5:04
3. Divine Blood Invocation 5:20
4. Last Groan Devoured by Death 8:25
5. Ominous Delusion 4:06
6. Embraced by Demons Spell 5:30
7. Nihillistic Torments 4:11

Band members
Anton Piovarci – vocals
Demo – guitars, vocals
Erik Čalfa – bass
Pio – drums

Album Review – Hrob / Brána Chladu (2026)

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These ruthless Slovakian death dealers are ready to attack with their debut opus, a putrid Death and Doom Metal abomination that evokes a sense of dread and desolation.

Founded in the beautiful Slovakian capital of Bratislava in 2021 by vocalist ansd guitarist Michal Matúš Uharček and guitarist Kiko Kavický as a side-project to their band Krudus, the indomitable Death/Doom Metal creature Hrob ( a word of Slavic origin, primarily meaning “grave” or “tomb”) is unleashing hell with their debut offering, entitled Brána Chladu, or “gate of cold” from Slovakian. Recorded by Michal Matúš Uharček and Kiko Kavický, mixed by Michal Matúš Uharček, mastered by James Plotkin at Plotkinworks, and displaying a bitterly cold artwork by Jan Vlášek, the striking debut by the aforementioned Michal and Kiko alongside bassist Anton “Vrana” Rozbora and drummer Matej Žitňanský is a putrid Death and Doom Metal abomination that evokes a sense of dread and desolation, shifting between slime-slow passages soaked in brooding heaviness and shake-you-from-a-trance pummeling blasts.

The album’s sinister, atmospheric Intro will penetrate deep inside your mind before you’re dragged into darkness to the sound of Chrám Prázdnoty, or “temple of the void” from Slovakian, a beyond infernal display of Blackened Death and Doom Metal led by Matej’s crushing drums, all boosted by the gruesome, evil vociferations by Michal. Their Death and Doom Metal attack goes on in full force in Tiene Stromov (“shadows of the trees”), a lecture in the style where the guitars by Michal and Kiko exhale sulfur and obscurity, while the neck-breaking Genocída Snov (“genocide of dreams”) offers more of the band’s trademark sound, with Michal’s demonic guttural walking hand in hand with the sluggish beats by Matej. Then after the folk-ish interlude Medzihra we face Zotročený Oheň (“enslaved fire”), alternating between sheer Death Metal violence and grim Doom Metal passages, with Vrana and Matej hammering their instruments manically. And lastly, the title-track Brána Chladu concludes the album on a demolishing mode, with Michal and Kiko once again firing Stygian riffs nonstop.

Brána Chladu is undoubtedly a morbid celebration of those fertile years of the early-to-mid 90’s when death-doom rose from rotting Death Metal and each bled b(l)ack into the other, being therefore highly recommended for fans of early Paradise Lost and Septic Flesh as well as Disembowelment, Asphyx, and Gorement, among several others.  Those Slovakian death dealers are not fooling around when it comes to delivering sheer heaviness and doom in their debut offering, and you can get in touch with them to let them know how much you love their obscure music via Facebook and Instagram, stream their savage creations on Spotify, and grab a copy of their devilish album from the Night Terrors Records’ BandCamp or webstore. Brána Chladu is as deadly as it is cold, bringing to us all a venomous fusion of Death and Doom Metal that will certainly keep the band moving forward for years to come, letting their harsh music reverberate to the four corners of our decaying world.

Best moments of the album: Tiene Stromov, Genocída Snov and Zotročený Oheň.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Memento Mori/Night Terrors Records

Track listing
1. Intro 1:25
2. Chrám Prázdnoty 7:15
3. Tiene Stromov 5:31
4. Genocída Snov 6:19
5. Medzihra 1:16
6. Zotročený Oheň 5:58
7. Brána Chladu 9:00

Band members
Michal Matúš Uharček – vocals, guitars
Kiko Kavický – guitars
Anton “Vrana” Rozbora – bass
Matej Žitňanský – drums

Album Review – Muerto / Eclipsed Realms (2026)

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A Stygian Mexican entity returns with their third album, offering a well-balanced blend of Black Metal with Doom and Post-Metal, with its atmosphere pressing down on the listener like a hand to the throat.

Against the backdrop of harrowing, plaintive music are the hollow echoes of an aggrieved, possessed-sounding woman, adding more malice to the music than anything possibly contrived. Eclipsed Realms, the third studio album by San Juan del Río, Mexico-based Black Metal entity Muerto (the Spanish word for “dead”), is a worthy follow-up to their 2023 sophomore Dust Fire Dust. Displaying a Stygian artwork by Ricardo González, the new opus by Penelope Matamoros on vocals and bass, Juan Mondragon (Necronos, Castleumbra) on the guitars, and Eddel Jared on drums offers a well-balanced blend of Black Metal with Doom and Post-Metal, as well as avantgarde touches, with its atmosphere pressing down on the listener like a hand to the throat, being therefore highly recommended for fans of Amenra, Emptiness, Opera IX, and Deathspell Omega, just to name a few.

Penelope begins distilling her venomous gnarls in Serpentine Echoes, while Juan and Eddel fire a scathing fusion of Black and Death Metal with Post-Metal nuances, sounding chaotic, cryptic and vile from start to finish. Then the minimalist and somber guitars and bass by Juan and Penelope set the tone in Veil of Desolation, evolving into a sluggish beast of Blackened Death and Doom Metal that will haunt your souls for all eternity; followed by Burning Shadows, as acid and visceral as its predecessors, with Penelope once again roaring like a true she-demon while Eddel smashes his drums with zero mercy for anyone who dares to cross his path. He keeps demolishing our putrid bodies in Wilderness, while the strident riffage by Juan couldn’t have sounded more obscure; and in Decay a Post-Black Metal start gradually evolves into a sinister feast of otherworldly sounds, keeping the album as dark and sulfurous as possible. Lastly, get ready for total annihilation with the eight-minute beast entitled Radiance, led by Penelope’s devilish vociferations and the always scorching Black Metal guitar lines by Juan.

Masterfully juggling various emotions in an aura of suffocating darkness, the new offering by Muerto presents a refreshing rawness in a time of overly processed music, and if you want to experience such a thrilling fusion of raw and dark sounds you can purchase the album from their own BandCamp or from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ BandCamp, main store, US store or EU store, as well as stream it as many times as you want on any platform like Spotify. Don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram, staying up to date with all things Muerto, therefore darkening your minds and souls even more. The music presented by those Mexican metallers in Eclipsed Realms is truly embracing, harsh and hypnotizing, leaving us eager for more of their suffocating sounds in a not-so-distant future.

Best moments of the album: Serpentine Echoes and Radiance.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Transcending Obscurity Records

Track listing
1. Serpentine Echoes 4:46
2. Veil of Desolation 6:48
3. Burning Shadows 4:55
4. Wilderness 4:36
5. Decay 6:31
6. Radiance 8:23

Band members
Penelope Matamoros – vocals, bass
Juan Mondragon – guitars
Eddel Jared – drums

Album Review – Melechesh / Sentinels Of Shamash EP (2026)

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The “Kings of Fire” of Blackened Death Metal return after over a decade with a scorching new EP, burning with the tension between chaos and sacred order, ruin and restoration, mortal defiance and divine decree.

The indomitable Melechesh, the “Kings of Fire” of Blackened Death Metal with Middle-Eastern and Folk Metal influences, who also label themselves as “Sumerian Thrashing Black Metal Pioneers,” are finally back into the battlefield over ten years after their last opus Enki with a fulminating three-track EP entitled Sentinels Of Shamash. Recorded and mixed by Kristian Kohlmannslehner at Kohlekeller Studio, with vocals recorded at Neverworld Recordings and Kingsize Soundlabs, with additional sessions at Forneus Studio, and displaying a classy artwork by Néstor Ávalos, the newborn spawn by Melechesh Ashmedi on vocals, guitars, keyboards, piano and folk instruments, Lord Curse on drums and percussion, Moloch on the guitars, backing vocals and folk instruments, and featuring the iconic Rob Caggiano as a guest bassist bass, Sentinels Of Shamash sees the band enter a ceremonial descent into ancient law, fire, and cosmic vigilance. Rooted in the solar authority of Shamash, god of truth and justice in Mesopotamian cosmology, the EP burns with the tension between chaos and sacred order, ruin and restoration, mortal defiance and divine decree.

Sharp, metallic guitar riffs set fire to the atmosphere in The Seventh Verdict, featuring guest Jessica Pimentel on vocals, boosted by hard hitting drums and Ashmedi’s infernal vociferations, inspiring us to headbang like true metalmaniacs in an overdose of Middle-Eastern Black Metal magic. The rumbling bass by Rob and the massive beats by Lord Curse offer Ashmedi and Moloch exactly what they need to cut our skin deep with their infuriated riffs in In Shadows, In Light, a rebellious and visceral Black Metal extravaganza by the band; and it’s pedal to the metal in the closing song Raptors of Anzu, offering our avid ears over six minutes of darkness, chaos, heavy-as-hell guitars, and the always piercing, hellish gnarls by Ashmedi, ending the EP on a beyond atmospheric, tribal and venomous mode.

In the end, Sentinels of Shamash stands as a mythological statement shaped in flame and discipline, a work of vigilance, a declaration that truth remains luminous even in eras of shadow. You can get to know more about the mighty Melechesh and show the band your utmost support by following the project on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their YouTube channel, by streaming their unique creations on most platforms such as Spotify, and of course by purchasing the EP from the Reigning Phoenix Music webstore (EU, US or UK), or simply by clicking HERE. The sentinels do not sleep. The sun does not close its eye. And through relentless sonic force, Melechesh remind us that judgment is eternal, and order, though challenged, will rise again in fire. All hail Melechesh and the Sentinels Of Shamash, and may their Extreme Metal fire keep burning for many centuries to come.

Best moments of the album: In Shadows, In Light.

Worst moments of the album: The fact that it’s only a three-song EP.

Released in 2026 Reigning Phoenix Music

Track listing
1. The Seventh Verdict 6:23
2. In Shadows, In Light 8:26
3. Raptors of Anzu 6:12

Band members
Melechesh Ashmedi – vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano, folk instruments
Lord Curse – drums, percussion
Moloch – guitars, backing vocals, folk instruments

Guest musicians
Jessica Pimentel – vocals on “The Seventh Verdict”
Rob Caggiano – bass (session)

Album Review – Sisyphean / Divergence (2026)

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Providing us all with an inspiring creative outlet of their unique-sounding Black Metal, this Lithuanian horde is finally back with their scorching third album.

Providing us all with an inspiring creative outlet of their unique-sounding Black Metal, true to their musical legacy and their history while also open to new inspirations, Vilnius, Lithuania’s own Blackened Death Metal horde Sisyphean is finally back with their third full-length offering, entitled Divergence, following up on their critically acclaimed 2022 sophomore Colours of Faith. Recorded at Hertz Studios, produced, mixed and mastered by Wojtek Wieslawski (Behemoth, Decapitated), and displaying another Stygian artwork by the beyond talented Chris Kiesling of Misanthropic-Art, the new album by Dainius P. on vocals, Kamil U. and Saulius B. on the guitars, Augustinas B. on bass, and Mantas D. on drums exhales aggression and creativity, with its lyrics providing depth that many writers would envy, therefore keeping their music always fresh and timeless.

The sinister, atmospheric intro The Tower will drag us to pitch black darkness before the band destroys our souls with A Point in the Abyss, with the classic blast beats by Mantas enhancing the song’s punch, offering Dainius exactly what he needs to roar like a true demonic entity supported by the cadaverous guitar lines by Kamil and Saulius. The band continues their path of chaos and obscurity in Occultation, where the stringed trio formed of Kamil, Saulius and Augustinas melts our faces with their dissonant and evil Black Metal sounds; and Sisyphean arise from the underworld in full force with Stupor Mundi, a Latin phrase meaning “wonder of the world” or “astonishment of the world,” used to describe the 13th-century Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (1194-1250), eviscerating our putrid bodies with their cadaverous riffs, bass lines and drums while Dainius keeps haunting us all with his devilish vociferations.

The quintet speeds thigs up and spread sheer animosity and sulfur in Hunting for Answers, led by another galloping performance by Mantas on drums and supported by Augustinas rumbling bass. In Divergence is a lecture in modern-day Black Metal, also presenting the most infuriated elements of Death Metal, with Dainius sounding absolutely rabid and evil on vocals for our absolute delight; followed by Black Bird That Brings No Joy, bringing to our putrid ears an overdose of sharp, caustic words (“There’s little time for snakes / Those bastards suspended in infectious states / Stretching vines, grasping for every throat and wonder / Suddenly, an enemy / Who uses doubt as a potent weapon / Projecting woes and misfortunes”) while the music is a true Blackened Death Metal attack. Lastly, closing such a powerful and captivating album we’re treated to Sangfroid, offering over seven minutes of harsh, scathing sounds where the guitars by Kamil and Saulius transpire darkness.

After listening to Divergence, you’ll quickly realize Sisyphean play Black Metal for the future, perfect for the quietness of the winter forest, but also well suited for a walk through the city centre. You can get to know more about those unrelenting Lithuanian metallers on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their enfolding creations on Spotify, and of course purchase their breathtaking new album from BandCamp or by clicking HERE. Manipulation, narcissism and other similar physic disorders remain a huge part of the darkest corners of the human mind. How can those be exposed, how shall those be revenged and how can we learn from them? You’ll find the answers to those obscure questions in Divergence, but be careful, as the truth might at the same time set you free, and imprison your soul within your own self.

Best moments of the album: Stupor Mundi, In Divergence and Black Bird That Brings No Joy.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Edged Circle Productions

Track listing
1. The Tower 1:43
2. A Point in the Abyss 5:32
3. Occultation 6:29
4. Stupor Mundi 6:15
5. Hunting for Answers 4:39
6. In Divergence 5:04
7. Black Bird That Brings No Joy 5:29
8. Sangfroid 7:20

Band members
Dainius P. – vocals
Kamil U. – guitars
Saulius B. – guitars
Augustinas B. – bass
Mantas D. – drums

Album Review – Cenotafio / La Escisión Acausal: Por La Vía Inversa Hacia La Descarnación (2026)

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This stormy and wrathful Black and Death Metal duo reveals themselves as a banner as well as an alliance with their long-awaited, scathing third album.

Hailing from the frontiers of southern Chile in a bloody transfixion that decomposes and darkens the veins of everything created under the stormy and wrathful Black and Death Metal that’s been inoculated all along the last decade, Temuco, Araucania-based entity Cenotafio reveals themselves as a banner as well as an alliance with their long-awaited third album, titled La Escisión Acausal: Por La Vía Inversa Hacia La Descarnación, English for “the acausal cleavage: through the inverted way to the fleshing out,” the follow-up to their 2019 sophomore opus Larvae Tedeum Teratos. Across the 43-minute album’s six tracks, the duo formed of Daniel Hermosilla on vocals, guitars and bass, and Patricio Kusnir on drums and vocals lays bare a supremely sepulchral landscape where genre delineations become irrelevant. Black Metal devours Death Metal, then vice-versa, all while a roiling undercurrent of Doom Metal provides the rhythmic sturm under drang that’s seemingly scattershot but eventually reveals its restless genius.

Atrabilis Taenia Solivm carries a cadaverous name for a song, starting in the most Blackened Doom manner imaginable before exploding into a chaotic blend of Black Metal led by their demonic vociferations and the ruthless drums by Patricio. Speaking of sluggish doom, I love it when a band that’s known for long, doomed songs decides to blast our faces with a sharp and shorter-than-usual tune like Osario, with Daniel delivering an overdose of insanity through his riffs and bass lines, resulting in a song not recommended for the faint at heart. And Nigredo Transfixión keeps the atmosphere as grim and unfriendly as possible, another caustic fusion of Black, Death and Doom Metal by the duo where Patricio steals the spotlight with his demented blast beats.

They continue to darken our minds and thoughts with the bludgeoning Acausal Escisión, presenting a caustic, visceral slab of Blackened Death Metal; and it’s time to enter a pit of deadly snakes in Viperidarium, offering our putrid ears a massive wall of sounds which end up boosting their Mephistophelian guttural to a whole new level of obscurity. And as the icing on their dark cake, we have Orbis Coagula, a multi-layered, evil, Stygian and brutal aria presenting the darkest elements of Doom Metal intertwined with the most vicious Black and Death Metal sounds, with Daniel ‘s riffs sounding absolutely disturbing and evil until the song’s climatic, vile end, sending shivers down our spines.

After immersing yourself into the dark and doomed waters of La Escisión Acausal: Por La Vía Inversa Hacia La Descarnación, you’ll quickly notice the wait for a new album by Chile’s monster Cenotafio was absolutely worth it. Buried under miles of Blackened Death and Doom Metal ash, the duo sounds on fire from start to finish, and if you want to show them your utmost support you can find those talented musicians on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their caustic music on Spotify, and purchase their sulfurous new album from their own BandCamp or from the Demoniac Productions’ BandCamp. Cenotafio are among us to spread sheer obscurity, blackening their Death Metal sounds while also turning their Black Metal vein even deadlier, with La Escisión Acausal: Por La Vía Inversa Hacia La Descarnación embracing us all in absolute darkness.

Best moments of the album: Osario and Orbis Coagula.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Demoniac Productions

Track listing
1. Atrabilis Taenia Solivm 8:47
2. Osario 5:11
3. Nigredo Transfixión 7:30
4. Acausal Escisión 5:58
5. Viperidarium 5:13
6. Orbis Coagula 10:17

Band members
Daniel Hermosilla – vocals, guitars, bass
Patricio Kusnir – drums, vocals

Guest musician
Jimmy Henríquez – bass (live)

Album Review – Defacing God / Darkness Is My Crown (2026)

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These Symphonic Black Metal visionaries are back with their stunning sophomore opus, this time with a strong focus on inner conflict, loss, transformation and resilience.

After the more-than-positive feedback received with the release of their 2022 breathtaking debut The Resurrection of Lilith, Aalborg, Denmark-based Symphonic Black/Gothic Metal visionaries Defacing God return from the underworld with their most personal and intense album to date, titled Darkness Is My Crown. Mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studios, and showcasing a visceral artwork by Leoncio Hrmr (capturing the darker, more intense, and complex atmosphere developed for the album), the newborn spawn by frontwoman Sandie “The Lilith” Gjørtz and her horde formed of guitarists Jakob Batten and Christian Snapholt Nielsen, bassist Rasmus “Kalke” Munch Nielsen, and drummer Michael Olsson sees the band once again fuse Blackened Death Metal, symphonic darkness and occult atmosphere, this time with a strong focus on inner conflict, loss, transformation and resilience, an unfiltered reflection of confronting darkness head-on and reshaping it into strength, identity and purpose.

An ominous intro drags us all to the Stygian lair ruled by The Lilith and her henchmen in Nocturnal Vestige, sounding and feeling very melodic, harsh and piercing, with Jakob and Christian firing their scathing riffs nonstop. Malediction Manor already kicks off in full force to the hammering drums by Michael, evolving into a bestial display of Symphonic Black Metal for the delight of all fans of the darkest side of music; whereas in It Comes at Night the band slows things down and brings to our avid ears an overdose of dark sounds led by the devilish guitars by Jakob and Christian. Then offering another cryptic intro we face I See Shadows, evolving into a headbanging, grim aria blending Black and Doom Metal in a compelling way, followed by Nefarious Enclave, one of the most venomous songs of their career, an onrush of Black Metal sounds with a rebellious thrashing twist where The Lilith roars and barks like a she-demon unleashed into humanity and avid for blood.

The second part of the album begins with the absolutely obscure Hymns of the Memoir, sounding like a devilish ceremony led by the vile vociferations by The Lilith, therefore getting us ready for the Symphonic Black Metal beast entitled There Is No Light, where its background keys add an extra touch of epicness to their sound while Rasmus and Michael bring the groove armed with their respective bass and drums. Your Presence Lingers Here, one of the first singles released, follows a similar pattern as the previous song but with more enraged riffs and the utterly venomous roars by The Lilith; and the album keeps its imposing, bold and dense atmosphere flowing in Transition, with their guitars and drums walking hand in hand with its once again killer background keys, offering different layers and nuances until its excellent finale. Lastly, the icing on the cake comes in the form of the blasphemous, visceral The Last Revelation, where The Lilith leads her vicious horde in another metallic journey through the lands of modern-day Symphonic Black Metal.

Defacing God are on another level after the release of Darkness Is My Crown. They not only sound heavy, dark and relentless, but the message behind their music has tons of depth, multiple layers, and a sense of hope during such difficult times to basically everyone alive. Sandie and the boys deserve our total admiration and recognition for their efforts to make our dark world a better place through their Black Metal magic, and we can all see what they’re up to on Facebook and on Instagram, including their undisputed tour dates, and don’t forget to also stream their music on Spotify, and to put your damned hands on their new album from their own BandCamp or by clicking HERE. From darkness they’ve arisen, and in darkness they’re now crowned the new torchbearers of Symphonic Black Metal.

Best moments of the album: Malediction Manor, Nefarious Enclave, Your Presence Lingers Here and The Last Revelation.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Apostasy Records

Track listing
1. Nocturnal Vestige 4:29
2. Malediction Manor 3:11
3. It Comes at Night 3:54
4. I See Shadows 3:56
5. Nefarious Enclave 3:25
6. Hymns of the Memoir 3:51
7. There Is No Light 3:40
8. Your Presence Lingers Here 4:08
9. Transition 4:28
10. The Last Revelation 3:33

Band members
Sandie “The Lilith” Gjørtz – vocals
Jakob Batten – lead guitars
Christian Snapholt Nielsen – rhythm guitars
Rasmus “Kalke” Munch Nielsen – bass
Michael Olsson – drums

Album Review – Decipher / ΘΕΛΗΜΑ (Thelema) (2026)

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Almost three years after the release of their dark and sinister debut, this Greek Blackened Death Metal horde returns from the pits of the underworld with their sophomore black mass.

Almost three years after the release of their dark and sinister debut Arcane Paths to Resurrection, Athens, Greece-based Blackened Death Metal horde Decipher returns from the pits of the underworld with their sophomore black mass, entitled ΘΕΛΗΜΑ, or Thelema, a Greek word meaning “will,” “desire,” or “purpose,” used in philosophy and religion (especially biblical contexts for God’s will). Featuring a Stygian artwork by Artem Grigoryev (Dödsrit, Nightbringer), the new opus by Kostas Gerochristos (Lucifer’s Child) on vocals and guitars, Kostas Xatzis also on the guitars, Kostas Ragiadakos (Dephosphorous) on bass, and Nodas Chatzopoulos on drums elaborate on the music forged on their debut album, adding better nuance and structure to the songs whilst retaining the sound and appeal. Allowed better expression, the songs are comparatively longer and have a narrative quality to them without straying too far from the core sound.

The quartet summons the powers of the dark spirits already in Return to Naught, where their Rotting Christ and Behemoth inspirations clash in a stunning way, led by the devilish growling by Kostas Gerochristos. Then Nodas takes control of the band’s Black Metal sound armed with his hammering beats in The Black March, supported by the stringed attack by his bandmates, and their caustic riffs ignite the no shenanigans Blackened Death Metal beast Seven Scars, the most aggressive of all songs, with Kostas Gerochristos roaring like a rabid creature. Nodas keeps the atmosphere as grim and violent as possible in Bound to the Wheel,  a classic Black Metal tune boosted by the band’s Greek spices, whereas their Hellenic vein gets even stronger in Hail Death, with their strident, piercing riffs once again sending shivers down our spines. Kostas Gerochristos and Kostas Xatzis continue to extract Black and Death Metal energy from their guitars in Towards Renaissance, supported by the rumbling bass by Kostas Ragiadakos, morphing into the cryptic instrumental outro Litany, putting a sinister ending to their black mass.

In summary, the music found in ΘΕΛΗΜΑ is the kind of Black Metal that gets its priorities straight, with the right focus on riffs, feeling, intensity, and passion, being therefore highly recommended for admirers of the dark arts crafted by Emperor, Yoth Iria, Bolzer, Lucifer’s Child, Varathron, Necromantia, Ravencult, and Dodsferd, among others. You can find those Greek black metallers on Facebook and on Instagram, staying up to date with their news and live concerts, stream their obscure sounds on Spotify, and purchase your copy of their flammable new album from their own BandCamp or from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ BandCamp, main store, US store or EU store. Because in the end, God’s will doesn’t really matter in heavy music. It’s the majestic Black Metal played by bands like Decipher in their new album that truly does.

Best moments of the album: Return to Naught, Seven Scars and Hail Death.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Transcending Obscurity Records

Track listing
1. Return to Naught 4:29
2. The Black March 7:08
3. Seven Scars 5:53
4. Bound to the Wheel 6:05
5. Hail Death 7:43
6. Towards Renaissance 6:47
7. Litany 4:51

Band members
Kostas Gerochristos – vocals, guitars
Kostas Xatzis – guitars, backing vocals
Kostas Ragiadakos – bass
Nodas Chatzopoulos – drums

Album Review – Bras D’Honneur / Hate Speech (2026)

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Behold the debut opus by this veteran duo from Ukraine, a 13-song, 35-minute torrent of primitive Black and Death Metal.

The latest creation of the duo R. (aka Roman Saenko) and V. (aka Vladislav Petrov), who are jointly infamous for bands like Drudkh, Precambrian, Blood of Kingu, and Rattenfänger, among others, Kharkiv, Ukraine-based Blackened Death Metal entity  Bras D’Honneur (an obscene gesture used to express contempt, roughly equivalent in meaning to phrases like “fuck you” or “up yours”) is unleashing upon our rotten society their debut opus, titled Hate Speech. Musically inspired by the likes of Von, Profanatica, Havohej and Belial, the new album by the aforementioned R. on vocals, guitars and bass, and V. on drums and keyboards is a 13-song, 35-minute torrent of primitive Black and Death Metal, adorned by the primeval, ruthless  artwork by Warhead Art to give the whole album an even more menacing and rebellious vibe.

R. and V. seem to be on their most devastating mode in the opening tune Trench Knife, with their devilish vociferations and blast beats sounding inhumane; and it looks like the entire album will be savage, which is the case in Scum of the Earth, where V.’s demented beats and fills match perfectly with R.’s deep guttural. Their violence only grows stronger in Regicide, with R. not only vomiting the song’s evil words, but his riffage is also caustic; followed by Main de Gloire, another ode to classic Black Metal with their primeval Death Metal twist, and they go full Death Metal in the poetically titled Eaten Alive by the Pigs, a lecture in the style led by R.’s venomous riffage. Crown of Nails offers one and a half minute of pure madness, a Black Metal extravaganza where V. shows no mercy for his drums, and in Stench of the Rotten Blood the duo continues to pave their path of absolute chaos and hatred, with V.’s raw beats kicking us hard in the head.

R.’s menacing, razor-edged guitar sets the tone in the bludgeoning tune Poisoning the Hearts with Malice, while his vociferations sound as if they’re coming from a beast that inhabits a sinister cavern, and they continue their metallic storm of Black Metal in Disemboweled, two and a half minutes of absolute obscurity and heaviness led by V.’s unstoppable drums. Goat Rapists continues the same darkened path from its predecessor, with its hybrid of demonic Black and Death Metal sounding as heavy as hell, whereas Judas Cradle also presents their classic visceral sonority, with the duo smashing their instruments like there’s no tomorrow. Bras d’Honneur, the song that carries the name of the band, couldn’t have sounded more hellish and pulverizing, a lecture in vile, unrelenting Blackened Death Metal with R. roaring like an evil creature, before all comes to an end with Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing, one minute of an instrumental devastation that would have been even more powerful with R.’s vocals.

In a nutshell, rough, rude, and unrepentantly so, Hate Speech sonically lives up to its title, stripping the primitivism of bands like Hate Forest down yet further, hammering through approximately two riffs per song, and making “blunt-force trauma” sound fanciful. Hate Speech is the record this modern world deserves, and you can purchase such a harsh and scathing album from the Primitive Reaction’s BandCamp or webstore, keeping the fires of Ukrainian Black and Death Metal burning and, therefore, inspiring R. and V. to continue their craft of darkness under their new project for the delight of everyone who knows how fucked up our world is today.

Best moments of the album: Regicide, Eaten Alive by the Pigs, Disemboweled and Bras d’Honneur.

Worst moments of the album: Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing.

Released in 2026 Primitive Reaction

Track listing
1. Trench Knife 2:55
2. Scum of the Earth 2:15
3. Regicide 3:17
4. Main de Gloire 2:31
5. Eaten Alive by the Pigs 3:04
6. Crown of Nails 1:35
7. Stench of the Rotten Blood 3:17
8. Poisoning the Hearts with Malice 4:28
9. Disemboweled 2:42
10. Goat Rapists 1:36
11. Judas Cradle 2:24
12. Bras d’Honneur 3:06
13. Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing 1:11

Band members
R. – vocals, guitars, bass
V. – drums, keyboards